Marcus Gayle has challenged his Staines Town players to perform with more pride after a 4-2 defeat at Eastbourne Borough saw them slump to the bottom of Vanarama South.

Just a few days after the Swans chief backed his present crop to get the club out of a rut, he was left to question the wisdom of that pledge after this shocker on the south coast.

Three down at the break after conceding a trio of goals from dead-ball situations to Elliott Charles (27), Ryan Watts (29) and Ian Simpemba (43), Swans rallied briefly in the second half and grabbed an early lifeline through Louie Theophanous.

But a fourth Eastbourne goal, from Sam Beale in the 71st minute, cemented the hosts' superiority and Brendan Kiernan's clever finish from Calum Willock's set-up - the two substitutes combining well - flattered the visitors who were well beaten.

"We were poor in the first half and didn't compete," reflected Gayle. "I'm sick and tired of seeing players looking like they are feeling sorry for themselves like some did at half time. "They have a lot of trust and loyalty from me and all I ask in return is hard work and effort.

"I am always seeking to improve myself as a manager and improve my quality and I expect the same from my players.

"If they can't carry out instructions to the letter and play with more feeling then they will have to go.

"They need to play with more respect and pride. That's four league defeats on the spin and we need to bounce back at home to Hayes & Yeading on Tuesday but it's becoming harder to bounce back."

It was never going to be Staines' day from the moment they found themselves 2-0 down inside three minutes midway through the first half.

Their continued Achilles heel is defending from free kicks and Charles was able to thump in his header from Marvin Hamilton's centre while a couple of minutes later, Hamilton's cross was nodded in by Watts who stooped to conquer.

Simpemba's goal came when he beat keeper Jack Turner to the ball from Gavin McCallum's free kick to nod the hosts into a 3-0 lead.

Although Theophanous's close-range volley from Kiernan's cross provided Swans with a fillip, it was never going to affect the outcome. Beale's strike was confirmation of that, before Kiernan's first goal for Staines late on at least made the scoreline more respectable for the visitors.